Ah to be a bartender. To be the one person who possesses the vast alcoholic knowledge necessary to turn ounces of liquor into Sex on the Beach. The one person who is calm, collected, and in control of all the liquids that bar-goers desire. And, with special training, you too can be a Buddha of beers, a guru of grenadine, a wizard of wine, a connoisseur of cocktails - without even being legally permitted to drink the stuff.
In all New England states, the legal age to serve alcohol is 18 (and in Maine, 17) as long as a 21-plus manager or supervisor is present. This is true in most states with a few exceptions, according to University Bartending. And no bartender - 21 or not - is permitted to drink on the job.
University Bartending is a class, not associated with any university, that uses campus locations in 22 states to teach students how to bartend. Their mission is to provide quality bartending training at a reasonable cost, and to equip students with the skills necessary to become responsible tenders.
Sophomore Eugenia Vandoros, who took the course this weekend in the Mayer Campus Center, said she took the course for its life-lesson value, and was happy to have learned how to concoct her favorite drink - the "fudgsicle" (see box for recipe).
"I thought it would be a useful thing to learn, just something you could always have, and always use to make extra money," Vandoros said. "I've learned a lot, and had a lot of practice making drinks."
There are four class options for different costs, levels, and schedules. Vandoros chose the "Weekend Professional" package, which allows her to earn a government-issued bartending certificate. Her class was taught over one weekend for long blocks of time, instead of shorter, weekly classes spread out over a number of weeks. The classes consisted of lectures on alcohol-related issues such as drunk driving and alcoholism, as well as opportunities to practice both pouring and making drinks.
Vandoros estimated that only half of the students in the class were from Tufts - the rest were other Boston-area students interested in bartending. All participants were given a handbook produced by the government and a free shot glass with the course. At the end of the course, participants take a government exam that tests them on laws concerning underage drinking, after which they are legally allowed to bartend at establishments. University Bartending classes are taught once a semester.
Senior Trent Ruder took the University Bartending class in the fall of his sophomore year when it was taught in a restaurant in Teele Square. Ruder found the course to be an enriching opportunity that taught him not only how to bartend, but also the rudimentary ingredients of different drinks.
"The most valuable thing [about the course] is that I learned about alcohol, not just what's in a fuzzy navel, but the [alcoholic] elements of it," Ruder said.
Ruder took the class for the simple joy and social aspects of bartending. "I do want to be a bartender, but let's be honest, I like alcohol," Ruder said. "I like having a good party, making people happy."
Although he is not officially licensed, as he took the "Basic" course option, Ruder has had some professional bartending experience since the course. Ruder has been a "barback" (bar lingo for a bartender's assistant.) and has also bartended at some less professional on-campus parties, during which he invented a "Wednesday Night" (see box for recipe).
What Ruder found valuable were all the fundamentals of alcoholic beverages, the various kinds of liquors, martinis, and beers - information most college students don't even think about when they're downing one at the keg.
Ruder says that the class is not a necessity when it comes to non-professional bartending for the fun of it, but is entirely worthwhile for the basic knowledge about drinking that can be applied to any Saturday night.
"I think [the class] doesn't necessarily teach you how to be a bartender," Ruder said. "I think being in a bar can teach you how to be a bartender, it's more about the fundamentals of drinking." Ruder said, pointing out that he learned that Amstel Light is the only true light beer because of the way it is brewed; other beers are just watered down.
But not everyone learns serving skills from University Bartending. Junior Alex Reeves took a TIPS certification course through his employment, Tufts Catering. Reeves learned the most basic bartending codes involving issues of safety, such as when to stop serving drinks to tipsy customers and how to identify fake IDs. He learned that bartenders are accountable for the people they serve and should know when to stop serving a customer.
Over the summer, Reeves worked as a bartender at a hotel in his home state of Vermont, but didn't find it particularly lucrative. He explained that a bar in Vermont does not typically bring in as much money as one in New York City or even Davis Square.
Reeves currently works as a bartender for Tufts Catering. He recommends the "Cape Codder" with the greeting "Welcome to Massachusetts." According to Reeves, being a bartender for catering has put him in a few awkward positions.
"It's just interesting at Tufts to be serving my peers and checking IDs, when I go out to bars with a fake ID myself," Reeves said. "It's ironic to be the regulator."
